Introduction
As the Office of Sustainability's primary program for engaging university employees, the Green Office Network is both a sustainability certification program and a coalition of aligned staff working to advance sustainability among their teams. Green office certification is the first step in joining the Green Office Network, offering you and your colleagues an opportunity to assess current sustainability practices in your work environment and explore potential areas for improvement.
Green Leaders serve as stewards for the green office certification process and primary representatives to the Green Office Network. Green Leaders work with their office teams to complete the certification checklist. Upon submittal, the Office of Sustainability will review the checklist and follow up to schedule a brief walkthrough of the office. The walkthrough is an opportunity for Green Leaders and the Office of Sustainability to raise and answer questions, share challenges, and highlight best practices within the office. Certification is valid for one full year.
The Office of Sustainability acknowledges that each office and each employee team experiences conditions, constraints, and contexts that may not align with the way in which the checklist was developed. Please reach out to Juliana Carvalho (julianac@gwu.edu) with any questions or feedback so that we can adjust to unique considerations and continue to improve this tool.
Checklist Categories
The checklist is broken up into seven categories with related criteria each assigned a point value. Additional points are available for innovative practices. Each category is indicated by a two-letter abbreviation:
EE = Energy Efficiency
TR = Transportation
PP = Printing and Paper
PC = Purchasing
WR = Waste Reduction
KI = Kitchen and Indoor Environment
AD = Administrative
IN = Innovation
Certified Process
1. Complete the Office Profile section. You may need to obtain information from your colleagues for this portion of the checklist.
2. Complete each of the Checklist Categories (EE, TR, PP, PC, WR, KI, AD). Some of the questions will require information about your office space or your fellow employees.
3. Indicate whether the office is submitting for additional points through the Innovation category.
Certification Levels
The subtotal is calculated as a percentage of points earned out of points possible. Additional points from the Innovation category are added as percentage points to the percentage total achieved across all other categories. There are four levels of certification, including:
Level 1: At least 20%
Level 2: At least 40%
Level 3: At least 60%
Level 4: At least 80%
